Chapter 58 Taking My Leave of You

Pan Yueqing bid farewell to Master Hong and got off the carriage without looking back. But when she stepped on the small stool, she stumbled involuntarily. Qi Liulang stepped forward and grabbed Pan Yueqing's hand, helping her steady herself. His eyes were filled with worry. Xue Ying also bowed slightly and asked, "Are you all right, Miss?"

"It's okay." Pan Yueqing steadied herself. With the support of Qi Liulang, she turned around and bowed deeply towards the hollowed-out flower window of the domed carriage. She said, "I'll be leaving now." Without waiting for a response from the person inside the carriage, she straightened up and waved at Xue Ying with a smile.

The Feihong armor soldiers retreated silently like a tide as Master Hong's carriage left.

Princess Pingning looked at Pan Yueqing with extremely complex eyes. She had originally come with a show of superiority, thinking that she could take over this place by relying on her imperial status. With the imperial examination approaching, she had hoped to take this opportunity to get to know some future important ministers, so as not to seem so lonely.

But this place actually belonged to Pan Yueqing. Such a uniquely advantageous place was once again out of her reach! At that moment, her eyes were filled with jealousy and hatred. She gave Pan Yueqing a fierce glare. Due to Master Hong's presence, she didn't dare to be too presumptuous and left with a flick of her sleeves.

"Miss Pan, are all these places yours?" Shi Jiting was still a bit dazed. You know, the land rent in the capital area was extremely expensive. There were not a few scholars who came to take the exam here all year round, but most of them were short of money. They all hoped to be like Pan Haiyun, the current prime minister of the dynasty, who could, by mastering the classics, rise from a commoner to a high position in the court, like a fish leaping over the dragon's gate. But the first obstacle to their dreams was the astonishingly high land rent in the capital.

"Yes, but this is also the first time I've had so many property deeds. If I want to rent these houses to the scholars taking the imperial examination, I don't know if I can rent them out?" Pan Yueqing slightly raised her eyes and met Shi Jiting's gaze. For the first time, a helpless smile appeared on her face.

In terms of location, this place is an excellent choice. But I wonder if you have any requirements regarding the rent? The scholars who come to the capital to take the exam are actually not wealthy people." Shi Jiting said to Pan Yueqing, speaking the truth.

"I want to rent them all out, but I don't like to deal with such matters. How about I leave this matter to you? We can split the profits, with you getting 40% and me getting 60%." Pan Yueqing raised her eyes and met Shi Jiting's gaze. In her impression, Shi Jiting was quite accomplished in financial management.

Shi Jiting blinked. He had just given Pan Yueqing a suggestion, but he never expected that she would hand over the management rights of all the houses in Shangbei Fang for rent to him! He was already short of money. He had originally planned to return to Suzhou after the imperial examination. If he passed the exam, someone would surely come to report the news. If he failed, there was no need to waste the money. Although he was a bit reluctant, he had no choice.

But now, Pan Yueqing's proposal gave him the possibility of staying in the capital. If he could stay in the capital, the connections he had made with the children of the royal and noble families during this period and the efforts he had made would not be in vain.

"Why are you leaving this matter to him?" After Pan Yueqing and Shi Jiting signed the lease contract, pressed their fingerprints, and bid farewell to each other and got on the carriage, Qi Liulang frowned and asked unhappily, "How can you trust him so much? Aren't you afraid that he'll run away with all your rent money?"

"He won't." Pan Yueqing half-lowered her eyebrows and replied indifferently. Her tone was filled with certainty, which made Qi Liulang frown even more unhappily.

"Are we still going to the temple fair?" Qi Liulang pondered for a moment, took a deep breath, relieved the depression in his heart, and then asked.

It was getting late. Pan Yueqing looked at the somewhat gloomy sky outside the carriage, smiled slightly, and shook her head.

The Princess of Anbei had already prepared the dinner. The Prince of Anbei was kept in the palace today due to some military and political affairs. Most of the other young masters in the prince's mansion, except Qi Liulang, had their own duties and were not in the mansion. The Prince of Anbei's mansion was very quiet today. The gate opened wide, and Pan Yueqing and Qi Liulang got off the carriage and went straight to the Princess of Anbei. "Mother, we're back!" Qi Liulang bowed respectfully in front of the Princess of Anbei. The Princess of Anbei smiled and turned her gaze to Pan Yueqing, who was standing beside him and also performing a female salute. "The kitchen bought pearl fish today. Come, try my cooking."

The three of them washed their hands with the help of the maids. After taking their seats, the Princess of Anbei picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks and put it into Pan Yueqing's bowl. She smiled kindly, as if waiting for Pan Yueqing's response after tasting it.

Pan Yueqing opened her mouth slightly, picked up the fish and put it in her mouth. She savored the fresh and sweet taste. She raised her eyes and smiled at the Princess of Anbei and praised, "This fish is very good, fresh and sweet!"

"If you like it, I'll make it for you again tomorrow!" The Princess of Anbei smiled. Pan Yueqing met the motherly smile of the Princess of Anbei. She felt a pang of sadness in her smile, and her eyes became slightly warm. She lowered her eyebrows to hide her emotions. She thought: If her mother were still alive, she would surely love her like the Princess of Anbei.

Thinking of this, Pan Yueqing was even more determined to thoroughly investigate the truth of her mother's death. Her slender fingers, like red cardamom, dug deeply into her palm. She gritted her back teeth slightly, but a murderous intent rose in her heart: If she found out who had deprived her of the right to be with her mother, she would surely cut that person into pieces!

After the dinner, the Princess of Anbei asked someone to remove the dishes from the table. She stood up and pulled Pan Yueqing to the outer room. As they walked, she said with concern, "You went to Miss Lai's banquet today. I wonder if it went smoothly?"

She knew how proud and haughty those noble ladies from the aristocratic families were, and she was afraid that Yue girl would suffer a loss!

"It's hard to say whether it was smooth or not. I just feel that it's difficult to get along with them." Pan Yueqing was honest after all. She still had a proper smile on her face as she supported the Princess of Anbei.

"Your personality is like mine, stubborn and extremely competitive. But I advise you to be a bit more gentle. Avoid when you should avoid, and act when you should act. You'd better not offend those noble ladies too much." The Princess of Anbei, supported by Pan Yueqing, walked to the side of the beauty couch and turned around to sit down. At the same time, she pulled Pan Yueqing to sit beside her. She reached out and stroked Pan Yueqing's hand on the back, and patted it gently. "If you offend them, you won't have a good time!"

"I understand," Pan Yueqing smiled and nodded.

Qi Liulang, however, smiled and said, "Mother, don't worry. Miss Yue has a teacher from Hongyun Academy. That teacher must be a great person. Even Zeng Shiba had to bow and salute in front of Miss Yue!"

"Is that really the case?!" The worried look on the Princess of Anbei's face faded away like a tide. When she raised her eyes again, her bright eyes were filled with surprise. "All the renowned scholars in the world come from Hongyun Academy. If you have the support of Hongyun Academy, I'm sure your days won't be too difficult."

The Princess of Anbei was genuinely happy for Pan Yueqing. Pan Yueqing nodded, stood up, and curtsied slightly to the Princess of Anbei. The Princess of Anbei asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"Thank you, Princess, for your care. There's one more thing today. I want to bid you farewell." Pan Yueqing's voice was soft and gentle, but her eyes were filled with firmness and were beyond doubt. Before the Princess of Anbei and Qi Liulang could open their mouths to persuade her to stay, Pan Yueqing said, "I should go home. You also know the situation in my family. If I don't go back for a long time, there will surely be gossip. If I'm filial at all, I should think of my father."

Moreover, she couldn't stay with Qi Liulang often. The young man had feelings for her. She couldn't delay him and still needed to avoid being with him too much.